Mills No.36 brass centre tube markings

[peregrinvs]

Hi,

I’m in the process of fettling a dug WWI Mills No.36 back to some of it’s former glory and an acid bath has revealed what look like maker marks on the base of the centre tube.

I can’t make them out - does anyone recognise them? I’ve never seen a Mills centre tube marked in this way before.

I was also surprised to find the centre tube was brass as I had thought up to now that the WWI No.36 tubes were only aluminium. Is this a rarity, or was I just labouring under a misapprehension?

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Snufkin]

Hi,

I’m in the process of fettling a dug WWI Mills No.36 back to some of it’s former glory and an acid bath has revealed what look like maker marks on the base of the centre tube.

I can’t make them out - does anyone recognise them? I’ve never seen a Mills centre tube marked in this way before.

I was also surprised to find the centre tube was brass as I had thought up to now that the WWI No.36 tubes were only aluminium. Is this a rarity, or was I just labouring under a misapprehension?

Cheers,

Mark

The centre piece is made by Oritur Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and bears the patent application number 9614 of 1916, duly granted as Patent No. 106555. See below for a clearer example.

Extant No.36 MkI centre pieces seem to be mostly aluminium, but composite brass are not uncommon; and also found are lead-antimony with a copper or brass detonator sleeve, and sometimes a brass centre sleeve. If you are really lucky you might come across a composite steel or cast iron centre piece.

 

[Millsman]

They are not that rare. Maker marked ones are though.

I've got one marked with a small symbol that Snufkin identified as Barker Bros - a firm of jewellers.

 

[peregrinvs]

Thank you for the replies. Very informative.

One of the aims with this is to separate the centre tube from the casing - without damaging either. All suggestions gratefully accepted. I assume blowtorch levels of heat will melt the solder holding the parts of the brass centre tube together?

 

[Millsman]

Put it in the freezer for a couple of days. The brass will shrink more than the cast iron and hopefully will come out.

 

[gothica7]

Here is another brass centre tube made by Messrs Bailey & Mackey Ltd, Birmingham. I m assuming its an early one as it has 2 notches in the threaded rim to facilitate screwing it in and it seems to be coated in some sort of sealant, could be shellac which must have been discontinued as I have never seen it before on the huge amount of centre tubes ive come across in the past.


Andy

 

[peregrinvs]

Apologies if this is a daft question... but are the threads for the filler plug the same on the WWI and WWII Mills No.36? I ask as a repro WWII filler plug won’t screw in and the threads on the grenade aren’t obviously damaged.

 

[millsbomber]

the only ones different in WW1 WW2 series No36s are the south African ones.

 

[peregrinvs]

And out it finally came...

Unfortunately the force required has detached the side tube and the middle tube is also slightly loose. Never mind - some discreet use of epoxy will get it all back together again.

On another matter. Could someone point me towards some good illustrations of the paint markings on a WWI No.36?

 

[Millsman]

Here's one of the standard illustrations.

 

[millsbomber]

Rust proofed or vanished, what's rust proofed. ??????

 

[Millsman]

The instruction for manufacturers from September 1918 gave the latest method of rustproofing as the 'Oil Blacking process' :

'The body is heated to a dull red in a closed muffle and quenched in a suitable crude oil of any description other than mineral oil. After treatment, the castings are freed from oil and sawdust'.

Before that was instigated there was the Fermangan or the coslettising process.

 

[peregrinvs]

When it states “varnished”, is that shellac?

 

[Millsman]

Yes it would be.